Tackling environmental problems requires a mindset that focuses on solutions that are sustainable, circular, clean and profitable.
Ninad Gujarathi, our next pathbreaker, currently manages his own technology consulting firm Environalgae that applies microalgae based wastewater treatment technologies to help customers reduce pollution while increasing their profitability in the process.
Ninad talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about his PhD on Bioremediation, and his corporate R&D experiences at Reliance Industries and Johnson Matthey where he explored bio-based solutions (especially microalgae) not only as feedstock for producing renewable bio-crude in refineries but also as a solution for treating industrial effluent !
For students, the world is talking about Climate Change. If you have not given it a thought on how to contribute towards mitigating the ill-effects of Climate Change, then you are missing out on an opportunity to work on the NEXT BIG THING!
Ninad, can you share your background with our young readers?
My name is Ninad Gujarathi. I was born in Pune and brought up at Dombivli. My father is an automobile engineer, while my mother is a homemaker. I did my primary and secondary schooling at Dombivli. My schooling and my friend’s circle at Dombivli had a great impact on my grooming and my development over the years. The societal culture at Dombivli is something that really sets it apart. If I must describe the peer culture at that time through some words then I would use: simplicity, practicality, focus and diligence. It was never about unhealthy competition or any craze for gadgets. It used to be more about spending time together discussing sports, education, careers and helping each other think through what would best work for them.
What did you do for graduation/ post-graduation?
I completed my BTech in Chemical Engineering from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University Lonere in 2000. During the later phases of my engineering, I developed a passion for research and technology. Later, in 2001, I went to Colorado State University (CSU) to pursue my higher studies in Chemical Engineering. At CSU, I got an opportunity to work in the emerging areas of nature-based environmental technologies. In Summer 2005, after completing my PhD, at the age of 26, I returned home to explore my career in this beautiful and diverse country. India is not only a land of opportunities, it is also where my family, my friends and my people live! Over a period, I have developed a strong passion for working in the areas of Science and Technology that can help make a difference.
What were some of the drivers that influenced you to pursue such an offbeat, unconventional and unusual career in Algal Research?
Taking up a career in Science & Technology is something that grew on me over time. More than anything else, what inspired me the most is the opportunities one gets to solve complex, real-life problems.
There was a turning point of my career that I would like to highlight. I was in the 3rd year of my BTech Chemical Engineering course, I was very much laid-back, non-committed and a significant under-achiever in my academics; perhaps always in the last 20% of my class. However, stern feedback from my family-friends and a brief reflection on the implications of my attitude towards academics made me change my ways. I started working harder on my studies. With five semesters already gone without much fanfare (i.e. with poor scores), I knew that scoring well in the remaining three would alone not help obliterate the past poor records. And that is when I decided to develop myself as a differentiator. That differentiator was contribution to Science, Technology & Innovation. Suddenly my scores improved dramatically, and so did my passion and commitment. Then onwards, over the last 25 years, it has been more a case of continuous & persisted improvements that I started to bring about in how I studied, how I worked and, most importantly, how I improved my LEARNING skills.
In terms of the person who influenced me the most was my PhD Advisor at CSU, Professor (Dr.) James Linden. Professor Linden is someone who not only mentored me academically, but also helped me be a better person. He always believed in being genuine, being helpful and being committed to what you are doing. And above everything else, he is one of the best human beings that I have ever across.
While I was admitted for the PhD program, I got an opportunity to work on two different projects. The first one was a short duration study, with significant course-work and through it I completed my MS in December 2003. The second project was much bigger and could accommodate a PhD study. For almost a year I was simultaneously working on those two projects.
The topic of my PhD dissertation was Phytoremediation of Antibiotics. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal husbandry has caused great harm to the environment and led to some serious problems including development of AMR (Anti-Microbial Resistance) in several pathogens. My work was focused on exploring, understanding, and developing the use of plants for abatement of those residual antibiotics from the wastewater streams generated from cattle and pig farms. Through that study I was not only able to establish the efficacy of plants to break down those antibiotics but also propose the biochemical mechanisms through which they were able to do so.
While my PhD work was on using aquatic plants for wastewater treatment, what fascinated me the most was the ability of plants to detoxify/ metabolize pollutants. Later in my career, around 2008-09, when I started reading more about microalgae, I realized that microalgae are photosynthetic plants that can grow much faster and gulp-up significant quantum of CO2 or carbonaceous-nitrogenous pollutants, while producing biochemically-rich biomass. This was when I realized that microalgae hold the potential to solve many of our problems related to water pollution and air pollution, while becoming a major renewable biomass resource for various end-use applications including fuel, fertilizer, feed, and food production. And thus began my journey in microalgal R&D.
How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path
While I did spend close to 18 months working in academic research and education, my real growth started when I joined the corporate sector. While I do not think I had perfectly planned each career move, I think my career path has followed a track that I was inadvertently working towards.
When I started my first job in the industry at Praj, in 2006, my role was to develop and commercialize Biodiesel; I was their first employee on the project. While we were successful in developing and commercializing the technology, there was a fundamental challenge with the concept. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil, and hence has limitation both in terms of production potential and its direct competition with food requirements of our vast country. Hence by 2008, I decided to explore more sustainable and renewable feedstock for making biofuels and that is when I stumbled upon microalgae. Another big challenge for the biofuels sector is use of freshwater for growing conventional biofuel crops on agricultural land. Therefore, I decided to strictly restrict my work to use of either wastewater or seawater as the cultivation media for microalgae.
My work on microalgae led to an opportunity to work with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) through their leadership’s vision to explore microalgae as feedstock for producing renewable bio-crude, as a replacement for fossil-crude in their refineries. Though new at the job, I again happened to be the first employee to be hired in the Algae-to-oil project. Like at Praj, my profile at RIL too was multi-dimensional. I was involved in R&D, in techno-economic due diligence and later in conceptualizing, designing, commissioning, and operating (read: heading) what was then, and perhaps still is, the world’s first and world’s largest demonstration plant for producing renewable bio-crude from microalgae grown on CO2 and seawater. My eight-year stint at RIL provided me opportunities to meet the World’s Who’s Who, work on pioneering processes and develop novel technologies.
While my stay at RIL is still the most enriching experience of my corporate career, one thing that was then missing from my bag of experiences was business leadership. It was in 2018 that I decided to explore a non-technological role by assuming the position of Site Manager at Johnson Matthey (JM). I was responsible for site operations and for the Life Sciences Technologies business of JM in India. With responsibility of close to 250 employees and the same number of contractors, this was an entirely different proposition. While the initial phase was challenging, I utilized my technological experience and my people management skills to not only grow the business but also triple the profitability of the local business unit. Over a three-year period, it developed into a great growth story for the site. But, as luck would have it, the site faced a steep challenge related to wastewater treatment for an upcoming manufacturing process which was going to help grow the profitability. Suddenly, there was a technology problem with no apparent solution and that is when I took up the challenge and successfully developed a sustainable effluent treatment solution using microalgae. By the time the technology succeeded in resolving the site’s pollution challenge, I was clear in my mind that though highly lucrative, I was not as happy being a company head as I was being an innovative technology solutions provider. While that technology went on to win the best technology award across JM globally (across all its sites in 39 countries), I had decided to move on from my role and instead start something on my own. This is when I founded Environalgae (https://environalgae.com/) in April 2022. Between February 2022 and March 2023, I transitioned from JM to Environalgae by smoothly handing over all my responsibilities to the new team at JM. And from April 2023 I have been solely focused on growing Environalgae, which is now a team of 12 individuals, including me.
As described above, my career moves were (and even today they are) led by my desire to learn and acquire more knowledge and skills. The table presented below summarizes my career journey.
| Organization/ Period | Nature of responsibility | My role & responsibility | Key development influencers |
| PRAJ/ 06-08 | R&D and process engineering | Individual contributor – Learn & deliver | Colleagues > Manager > Organization |
| PRAJ/ 09-10 | R&D team management | Team leader – Innovate & lead | Team > Colleagues |
| RIL/ 10-12 | Techno-commercial | Individual contributor – Develop R&D vision | Manager > Top leadership |
| RIL/ 12-13 | R&D design & engineering | Individual contributor – Execute R&D vision | Organization > Manager > Collaborators |
| RIL/ 14-16 | Breakthrough R&D Process development | Team leader – Progress & demonstrate R&D | Team > Manager |
| RIL/ 16-18 | R&D project delivery | Project/ Plant leader – Deliver organizational goals | Team > Manager > Colleagues |
| JM/ 18- 22 | Lead manufacturing site & people; Manage business and P&L delivery | Site & local business head – Manage a mature & experienced site and help improve delivery | Local Organization > Team > Customers > Manager > Parent Organization |
| ENVIRONALGAE/ 22-date | Founder and owner | Develop and lead a technology consulting business that helps customers explore sustainable and profitable effluent treatment options using microalgae | Climate Change > Customers > Team members |
How did you get your first break?
I was on my annual vacation-visit to India, in the month of December 2004. This was possibly my last visit to India before my then-planned graduation in March 2005 from CSU. While I absolutely loved my time at CSU, and I do think that the USA is the best country for me, outside of India, I had no plans whatsoever to stay back in the US post my PhD. Hence, I started contacting government R&D labs in and around Mumbai-Pune. I then decided to walk into a very reputed government lab at Pune seeking a job. Considering that I was an engineer graduating from the US, they were skeptical about me being serious. They simply said, once you come back, we will “see”. Then in April of 2005, upon returning from the US, I walked into their premises saying “I am here, give me a job”. A bit surprised upon my return, they offered me a temporary position; my salary was less than 20% of my PhD student stipend in the US. But I was committed and I accepted the position. That is how I got my first job at Agharkar Research Institute (ARI). My work at ARI focused on developing biological solutions for wastewater treatment. Then, over the next 12 months, I was successful in attracting significant national/ international funding at the institute. My ability to conceptualize my thoughts and convert them into projects/ workable solutions helped me secure a permanent position at the R&D department of Praj Industries Limited at Pune.
What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?
There were three types of challenges and each needed specific strategy/ approach to overcome:
People – It is difficult to gain trust of everybody when you want your career to grow. The leadership above you needs to believe in you, your colleagues need to trust you and your team needs to get inspired by you. In all three cases, certain qualities help you excel: INTEGRITY, RESPECT, PASSION, VISION, DEDICATION, HONESTY, DILIGENCE & EXCELLENCE. Another important thing to remember is – Designation brings authority but Knowledge brings respect. One must strive to be honest and to add value to anything that one does. As US President Obama once said in an interview (Bear Grylls Episode) – Be kind and do something useful for someone!
Work – Interestingly enough, the above- mentioned qualities are also equally applicable in their entirety when it comes to excelling at work.
Financial needs – Need for money needs to be fluidic and should reflect where you are in your career. If you think about it, there is never enough money and on the other hand it is always possible to earn sufficiently. One needs to be both ambitious as well as measured in expectations. Build your career in such a way that money will come to you rather than you having to run after money. Frankly speaking, you can only try to add value to what you do and then it’s others who will price you on what you are. So, no point in running after money. As the dialogue from a popular Bollywood movie goes – Don’t run after success, just strive for excellence and success will run after you….
Where do you work now? What problems do you solve?
I currently manage my own technology consulting firm wherein we create, develop, scale-up and implement sustainable wastewater treatment technologies that not only help our customers reduce pollution but also help them increase their profitability while doing so. This is all through microalgae-based wastewater treatment technologies.
I employ Chemical engineers, Agronomists and scientists working in the field of Biology. Me and my team of ELEVEN need to have fundamental knowledge in the field of environment and then learn to apply that to solve practical problems in implementing novel scientific solutions in the real world. At any given time, we deal with multiple projects wherein some are in the exploration stage, others are in the development phase, while a couple of them are already in the implementation phase.
What’s a typical day like?
So, our typical day involves coordinating different sets of activities across different locations, all at the same time. What we love the most is that we are working in niche areas of science and technology to create sustainable and circular solutions to mitigate ill-effects of Climate Change. The best part about it is that we are implementing the technology at very large scales, while the technology is still finding its feet in the field. Every week, we host visitors and delegates at our customer sites, some of whom are westerners, and there is hardly a person who does not seem to be fascinated with what we are doing, and that too at such a massive scale. To put things into perspective, each of our microalgae ponds, that are cleaning up the wastewater streams, are over one-acre in size!
How does your work benefit society?
Our process technology helps clean wastewater using sunlight. It helps reduce GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions. And, the co-product from our process, that is microalgae biomass, is generating huge interest in the agricultural sector owing to its growth-stimulating effects in crops. In short, our work can help reduce GHG emissions, clean and recycle water, and improve agricultural yields!
Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!
While there are many happy memories from my last 19 years of professional experience in India, something that is proving to be most satisfying is the positive impact that our product (microalgae) is having on the performance of crops in agricultural farms. Every day, one or more of those farmers, who are testing our microalgae in their fields, visit us and share their positive experience in terms of improved crop quality and enhanced yields. While this is a very recent experience (last 4-5 weeks), I do not remember getting as much excited about anything else before. Yes, this is still a story in development. I think what is happening today, with the extension of microalgae-based technology to the agriculture sector, is something which is very close to me.
Your advice to students based on your experience?
- Focus on the process and the efforts, do not worry about the results.
- Do not judge yourself by the results that you end up achieving. It is the learning from the process of testing yourself which will help you in the long term
- While it is important to be focused and hard-working, it is equally important to take care of your own-self (your body and your mind).
- Please have and maintain a healthy and frank communication channel with your parents and close friends. Your well-being matters more to them than how you perform in examinations.
- Keep an open mind when it comes to choosing career paths. I have seen miserable engineers and I have also seen wonderful accountants. Do not judge a career path by trying to assess what package you can earn through it. Who knows, you may end up getting a Science degree in Agriculture and eventually managing a 1,000+ Crore company before turning 50! And of course, employing Engineers and MBAs with fancy packages. This is not a hypothetical statement; I have seen a case like this very recently.
- The world is talking about Climate Change. If you have not given it a thought on how to contribute towards mitigating the ill-effects of Climate Change, then not only are you not helping humanity, you are also missing out on an opportunity to work on the NEXT BIG THING!
Future Plans?
Today, my team and I are executing a couple of very large microalgae-based wastewater treatment plants. However, as a company, we are still in the nascent stages. While I do not believe in planning for something that is beyond five years from now, certainly in the coming 2-5 years I would love to expand the reach of our technology and test ourselves in the larger sustainability domain.